Guess next you will want strict Gov't control on how children are raised.

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Actually, it's the irresponsible parents that want more regulation. They are the same ones that are asking for the State or the HOA to take care of their kids for them with signs. If the state puts them in, the signs would even be funded by taxes. Can you believe what it has come to? Parents who are unwilling to watch over their children are able to get the State to pay for a sign that says, "Children Playing in the Middle of the *Darned* Road." It's a waste of taxpayer money. If you don't want to watch your kids, what makes you think that you can tax your neighbors to pay for a sign to calm your guilty conscience.

Why do you think it is OK to raise your kids in the middle of the road? The next time I see a kid playing in the road with no parent in sight, I am going to report the parents to Virginia's Child Protective Services. It's just simply wreckless endangerment. Anyone who wants to do the same can do so by calling the hotline number: (800) 552-7096

I see this all as a case of some parents looking for any and every opportunity to abandon responsibility for effectively watching over their kids.

One final thought... what will the rule be on sign placement? One per street? One per house? One per driveway? One per kid? One per parent? One per ???

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i don't think we need more signs either, i don't believe a sign will change the behavior of a reckless driver in a residential area. DUH you should drive slowly. i don't believe those who don't ALREADY drive carfeully aren't going to change because of a new sign. look at this place- of course there are children at play.

but i don't think that someone requesting one is a sign of trying to make someone else responsible for their children's safety- that's a mean spirited and ridiculous assumption. the kind of person who RESPONDS to signs and obeys laws would think others would follow suit. i have just become too cynical to believe ppl will CHANGE behavior based on a sign, but i applaud anyone who cares enough to LOOK for a solution.

gryphon- you are so hard to agree with b/c you make your points with a DAGGER.

Actually, it's the irresponsible parents that want more regulation. They are the same ones that are asking for the State or the HOA to take care of their kids for them with signs. If the state puts them in, the signs would even be funded by taxes. Can you believe what it has come to? Parents who are unwilling to watch over their children are able to get the State to pay for a sign that says, "Children Playing in the Middle of the *Darned* Road." It's a waste of taxpayer money. If you don't want to watch your kids, what makes you think that you can tax your neighbors to pay for a sign to calm your guilty conscience.

Why do you think it is OK to raise your kids in the middle of the road? The next time I see a kid playing in the road with no parent in sight, I am going to report the parents to Virginia's Child Protective Services. It's just simply wreckless endangerment. Anyone who wants to do the same can do so by calling the hotline number: (800) 552-7096

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You are really missing the point. I am outside with my children when people recklessly speed down our road. It makes me nervous and angry. I yell, I wave my hands. They need to slow down. Period. For me, for my children, for the kids that are old enough to cross the street on their own. It is TOO fast. Speed LIMIT - get it? NO faster than. It's 25 on MY street! Obey stop signs!!! There are pedestrians everywhere!!!! Slow down!! Speed kills!!

You obviously don't have a "darter". Residential speed limits need to be respected and drivers need to be on their toes when in a residential area b/c there are children PRESENT. Which means hopefully a parent is around too. It ALSO means that kids do stupid things sometimes and parents might not anticipate it.
This is a silly argument. People just need to slow down (especially on Ridgeway Raceway!!)

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It is a silly argument. People should drive the speed limit and small children should not play in roads. Regardless of darters I am against anything (signs for instance) that makes parents feel more comfortable with allowing small children to play in and around roads.

Why do you think it is OK to raise your kids in the middle of the road? The next time I see a kid playing in the road with no parent in sight, I am going to report the parents to Virginia's Child Protective Services. It's just simply wreckless endangerment. Anyone who wants to do the same can do so by calling the hotline number: (800) 552-7096

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We bought our house on a deadend street so that my kids could play in it. We sit outside with our kids and have taught them to be aware of traffic, and we expect drivers to be aware of them.

The only sign my street will need is one that says "Beware of a-holes in Black Saabs".

You are really missing the point. I am outside with my children when people recklessly speed down our road. It makes me nervous and angry. I yell, I wave my hands. They need to slow down. Period. For me, for my children, for the kids that are old enough to cross the street on their own. It is TOO fast. Speed LIMIT - get it? NO faster than. It's 25 on MY street! Obey stop signs!!! There are pedestrians everywhere!!!! Slow down!! Speed kills!!

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Nobody is saying that people should not slow down and try and keep an eye out for small children darting into the road. The point IS well taken. The speed limits are posted and people should obey them.

Based on the replies others have noticed the same thing I have in this neighborhood that there are a lot of chronic offenders that put their children in harms way by allowing them to regularly play in the road. I am not talking about teens playing sports in the road, I am referring to small children that have no business being more than an arms length away from their parents. I once had to slowly maneuver my car around a child in the road because he was too young to know to get out of the way. All this happened while his parents watched from the front steps of their house. I am sure this child's parents would love to have a sign placed on my block.

I don't get it. So people would feel better and safer if their kids are out playing on a street when there's a "children playing" sign posted? Sign or no sign I would think the chances of a child getting run over would be the same. If not, I still wouldn't gamble on it with a kid's life or limbs.

we ALL agree that
1) small kids shouldn't play unsupervised in the street, or even at all depending on their age
2) parents should be more vigilant and supervise their children better when playing near/in the road so they can get them ot of harm's way if a car comes
3) bigger kids DO play in the road since some childhood games require concrete, and speeders are a danger to them.
4) darters or a child chasing a ball without looking both ways are NOT necessarily the result of bad parenting- it can happen at anytime, and again- speeders increase the danger.
5) signs don't change people, accidental death and massive fines change people.
6) signage is necessary but over-signage is unsightly and unnecessary.
7) the terms CAR! and GAME ON! should become part of every child's upbringing
8) Thread's dead, baby, thread's dead.

whatever happened to kids playing in back yards? Oh - that's right - not too many people in this area have back yards.......it's too bad. BUT - there are so many walking paths in Broadlands....why not take your skateboard, scooter, and play on them? I saw kids coming down our street the other day on scooters....in the MIDDLE of the road and they didn't look any older than 8 or 9....they were totally oblivious to cars or anything else around them.

we ALL agree that
1) small kids shouldn't play unsupervised in the street, or even at all depending on their age
2) parents should be more vigilant and supervise their children better when playing near/in the road so they can get them ot of harm's way if a car comes
3) bigger kids DO play in the road since some childhood games require concrete, and speeders are a danger to them.
4) darters or a child chasing a ball without looking both ways are NOT necessarily the result of bad parenting- it can happen at anytime, and again- speeders increase the danger.
5) signs don't change people, accidental death and massive fines change people.
6) signage is necessary but over-signage is unsightly and unnecessary.
7) the terms CAR! and GAME ON! should become part of every child's upbringing
8) Thread's dead, baby, thread's dead.

I realize I'm picking and choosing here, but it's so rare that I agree with you on things. These two statements are right on. As someone who lifeguarded for over 20 years, I have seen too many times, including in Broadlands, parents who will do anything to pass off watching their kids. Clearly this is not a blanket statement, but you might be amazed at how many lifeguards say, "Why should I watch your kid if you don't bother to?" Years ago when I tried to get Countryside to change the length of Adult Swim (break) partly because too many kid were deficating in the pools (sound familiar?), they fought me to the bone because when kids aren't in the pool, they may be harassing their parents.

Why do you think it is OK to raise your kids in the middle of the road? The next time I see a kid playing in the road with no parent in sight, I am going to report the parents to Virginia's Child Protective Services. It's just simply wreckless endangerment. Anyone who wants to do the same can do so by calling the hotline number: (800) 552-7096

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Then you had to post this as well. Now you're hitting the extremes. Why not make that same call because a parent lets their kid drink soda or climb trees? Why not call the authorities on parents who smoke in front of their kids?

we ALL agree that
1) small kids shouldn't play unsupervised in the street, or even at all depending on their age
2) parents should be more vigilant and supervise their children better when playing near/in the road so they can get them ot of harm's way if a car comes
3) bigger kids DO play in the road since some childhood games require concrete, and speeders are a danger to them.
4) darters or a child chasing a ball without looking both ways are NOT necessarily the result of bad parenting- it can happen at anytime, and again- speeders increase the danger.
5) signs don't change people, accidental death and massive fines change people.
6) signage is necessary but over-signage is unsightly and unnecessary.
7) the terms CAR! and GAME ON! should become part of every child's upbringing
8) Thread's dead, baby, thread's dead.

We bought our house on a deadend street so that my kids could play in it.

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You actually encourage your kids to play in a public road!?! Instead of searching for a house on a dead-end street, wouldn't it have been more sensible to try to find a house with a decent back-yard? I'd sure as heck want my kids to play in a yard vs. a street that is meant for traffic (even dead-end streets get traffic).

Also, you never know when a bad driver is going to come along. Maybe a total drunk who is lost and trying to get home. In a drunken stupor, he may think your "dead-end" street is the perfect shortcut home. Of course when that happens, your kids will be playing in the street that you so desperately wanted.